Maniacs Have No Feelings
by Mary Del Mondestos
Summary: After Jonny s death, Ponyboy finally finds a new soulmate. Scout is a very shy and lonely girl. When Ponyboy realizes that Scouts gets abused at home, he tries everything to help her out of this living hell, feeling he owes it to Johnny. But suddenly he gets involved deeper in this family drama, than he wished for. He gets in the cross hairs of a maniac.
1. Chapter 1

**Heyy everybody, this is my first fanfic in english.**

**Shattered Aura:  
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**I am soo excited and deeply thankful for helping me write in a good english, your assistant ideas and for cheering me on to translate and publish my idea!  
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This is based on the TV series, Episode 11 "The beat goes On"

"But Darry, where she can go to the next time her father loses control and goes ballistic?" asked an annoyed Ponyboy. Darry had just told him that he couldn't let Scout stay for a few days in his house.

"Pony, we barely have enough money to feed the three of us, apart from the point that you and Soda eat for four. It's honorable that you care about her but beside this, it ain't our business. We have enough problems of our own. Plus, you hardly know this girl!"

Pony couldn't believe what Darry had just said. "But I have that feeling about her...And I think her father beats up her mom and probably Scout, too..." Pony got no chance to finish his sentence as Darry cuts his words.

"Pony, it ain't our business, you got it?!" Pony was peeved about his reckless brother. He slammed the the fork on his plate and stood up from his chair so furiously that the chair tumbled down. Soda and Darry watched their enraged brother with shock on their faces.

"Lemme get this straight; it ain't my business when a friend needs my help because of her boozed up, evil father...?" His voice rose and started yelling. "...But it's your business to hook up with that Connie while her _husband_ is off fighting in Vietnam? Huh? Tell me! You think it doesn't matter to betray one man? Because he's far away? Yeah, it ain't your problem!"

Ponyboy had hit the bull's eye and he knew it. Darry knew it, too. Angry about the accusation of his brother, Darry jumped off his chair to face Ponyboy, and the only thing he could say was: "Shut up! Don't draw off the attention, Ponyboy, 'cause this has nothing to do with Connie and me!"

At least this was Darry's excuse to himself. His affair with a married woman, whose husband fights in a war, was inconsiderate.

Despite Pony's youth, he was smart enough to point that problem, before anyone else got a picture of it. Pony was pissed and felt totally wronged.

For a second he eyed his brother, calculating, whether to continue his debate or not. But he knew that it didn't make sense anymore. He turned and left the table with the words: "Since when are you such a selfish person, anyway, uh?"

"Since I have to watch my naive little brother!" Darry yelled. Meanwhile, Pony had reached his room and slammed the door as loud as possible, clearly trying to show how angry he was.

Seething with rage about the disrespecting behavior of his little brother, Darry turned to run into Pony's room but Soda seized him by his arm and prevented him to keep up fighting again. "Just let him go. You know him, he'll run away again. Let him go."

Darry watched Soda, and then broke away from him and dropped in his armchair. "I have to cut his disrespect."

"Darry, he's just like that 'cause he felt misunderstood. And by the way, I don't understand your decision, either," Soda claimed.

"Of course, Soda, why don't you take his side again?" Darry mumbled, frustrated.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, Darry. It's not what I meant."

"Then what DID you mean?" Darry asked, annoyed.

"I meant that Tim comes here, Steve sometimes spends his nights here when his father kicks him out. Hell, even Two-Bit stays the night sometimes when he's boozed up. Why can't Scout just stay for a few days? I don't see nothing wrong in that," Soda explained.

Soda's sensitive voice calmed Darry down. Still, he had to get his point across. "Correct, they stay a night and then they leave. Scout is a kid, she would live here, eat, sleep. Like Pony said, her father's evil and boozed up. Surely he ain't gonna okay with the fact that she would live here. How would he react? Maybe he'd ambush Pony and Scout after school or he'd come here with a weapon. Maybe he'd declare us for kidnapping, and then they would separate us. Soda, we can receive real trouble! And I don`t understand why he just uses his head, just once in a while, so he`ll that piont by his own."

"Because he`s different, you know that. He always thinks with his heart instead of his head. And it`s the only way for him to help her."

"Yeah maybe. But it`s my responsibilty to keep this family together and so it works! Wether he`s agree with that or not."

Now, Soda did understand Darry`s side. He just wanted to protect his family. But the way he treated Pony hurts him. He didn`t tries to understand, why it was so important for him to help her.

Darry and Pony were both too stubborn to manage a civilized conversation and figure out each other's point of view, so they always fought, despite their promise to Sodapop months ago.

Pony felt horrible to know that his friend got abused at home. She's just a kid, a girl who can't defend herself. He tried considering about other ways to help her instead of making her go home to her father.

He did already speak with the social services from school. This empathetic woman took a note of his presumption, took him seriously and appreciated him helping his friend, but without evidence, she wasn't authorized to contact the welfare service.

He lay in bed, thinking that his brother was a selfish and stone-cold guy. He was frustrated and didn't think clearly, because quite frankly, Darry was far from being selfish; having to quit college to take care of his brothers for five years.

And like so often, he only wanted to split. But where would he go to?

Emotions rose up. Memories of his last try to run away. Johnny killed a Soc, the church, the fire. Johnny died.

He felt a pang in his heart.

"Johnny... I'm just trying to help her, buddy. I couldn't protect you; I don't want anything to happen to her too..." Pony sadly whispered in the dark room and a teardrop rolled down his cheek.

Johnny went through the same hell as Scout did now. He wished that Scout just only met Johnny once. She would have liked him, because she feels the same way like Pony or Johnny. She listened to Ponyboy when he told about him without saying anything. She just listened. They would talk about books or even just sit side by side and watch the colours of the sky.

But Darry couldn't understand that, he couldn't see that. His mind went slipping again to the fight. He felt so powerless and in the same time, he got that weird feeling, that Darry's heartless decision was fatally wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Darry really felt hurt about Ponys words to be selfish. Everything he does, he does for their family.

For his two little brothers.

Yes, he could be selfish and put them in a boys home. So that he still may go to college, live his life again.

But he ain`t. He quit his future plans for his brothers, to have them still their house to live in and to have them still a family. Their family.

And it seems like, his dreamy little brother doesn`t realize anything.

He`s young, just a child. He always let his heart lead his minds.

And Darry? He had to bear to much responsibility for his age. Since the death of their parents he mutants to a sterness, cold hulk, who`s only working. He forgot his own life, to relax, to smile.

He was worried sick, when Pony was in Windrixville and after his return, erverything should become better. They promised to Soda. But that doesn`t really workin` because Pony becames strange.

His whole life Pony was a dreaming one but since that his head was always in clouds. He forgot everything. His homeworks, his papers, his shoes, he forgot which day it was. He was no good for anything.

And Darry`s angry about that. He`s impatient and starts to gripe at Pony.

He couldn´t empatize what Pony feels or how he feels. Of course he knows, what Pony went through in the last months. And of course he knows, it`s to much for a 15 year old boy. Pony was so much different than him. Worlds between the two of them.

So the figths never really stopped. But he never hit him again. This was unforgivable for himself.

„I go to bed. Maybe he`s still awake and I can explain him your side." Darry waved Soda, with his eyes still on the TV.

When Pony hears steps towards his room, he rolled over and pretend that he was sleeping.

But Soda knows his little brother very well. His breathing is different when he`s sleeping.

So he takes his shirt off and lay down beside him.

„I know your ain`t sleeping. Darry`s sad about your fight. You know, I do understand your side. You like this girl, you`re trying to protect her. And thats a good attitude of yours. But I talked to Darry and now I understand him too. He`s just protecting our family. Like you try to Scout.

Imagine, her father goes ballistic and attack us or you two. He could hurt you real bad.

He`ll not okay with her in our house, so he could rush the authority on us.

Darry`s right, think about that."

Ponys listens to Soda. The authority. Shit, that ´s possible! So he turns to Soda:

„Fine. So what else could I do?" „I don`t really know. It`s tricky. It`s not the same with Steve and his dad or the other guys. Let`s sleep over it, maybe we consider something in the morning with clear heads. Night Pony." „Night."

Click...Click...Click...Clirr

Pony wakes up by a strange noise in the middle of the night. His heart was pounding and his eyes were searching anything in his room. Silent. Maybe his imagination or a dream...

He just wanted to lay down again when the noise starts again, heavier and louder. It sounds like the window.

Clack...Clack...Grrr

„Soda, Soda you`re awake? You hear this?" But Soda snored in seventh heaven.

He tiptoed to the window and gingerly moved the curtains.

He`s scared to death when a stone cracked at the window again.

„Ponyboy." A whisper in the dark. He looked closer and realized a shadow next to the appletree.

He shivered. „Ponyboy." This is a familar voice: „Scout?" He moved the curtains, so that he can see the shadow.

Prudently he opened the window and whispers in the night: „Hey Scout. You scared me to death. Whats the matter?"

She sobs two times before speaking. „I ran off. My Dad went crazy and...and yelled at my mom. She..she cried." And Scout did, too. „You know,.. I hate it when she`s crying."

„Oh. Okay, the door`s open. Come in."

He tiptoed down the hall, bewared not to wake his brothers.

Scout looked lousy.

Her hair is tousled and she got a bleeding cheek.

She shivered all over and teardrops roll down her face. „And what happened to you? Did he lay a hand on you, too?" She nods.

Pony was appalled to see her like this, to realize, which father could do this to his own daughter.

„Here, sit down, I´ll get some tissue and a band aid." Probably the Curtis` were the only greaser

with band aids in the house because everytime they got a bleeding cut Darry forces them to stick a plaster on it. It seems more civilized than walking around with a wound, just to show it.

„They´re fighting. Just yelling in the first place but then he becomes wilder and hit her."

He sat down beside her and wiped away her blood and some teardrops. She continued:

„He was drunk when he came home. When he`s like that he always starts yellin`at me or my mom.

I was in my room and they fight about movin`again. We always move, we`ll never stay."

She looked so sad.

„Why? Why you`ll move around so much?" „For the most parts we got disrepute in our neighboorhoods."

When he cleaned her cheek, he stick the band aid on it.

„My mom yelled back. And then he pushed her against my room wall, real hard.

So I ran out, to see, if she need some help. Her nose was bleeding and I got really mad at him.

I starts yellin`. I don`t know, why. I usually know the consequences."

She`s shaking her head.

I yelled: Leave her alone you monster."

Silent. Pony was stunned when he imagine what comes next.

„He came up to me, hit me in the face and pushed me against the table.

He was screaming, the whole time he was screaming. When mom tried to protect me, he hit her in the stomach."

When Pony has found his words again, he asked: „And where`s your mom now?"

„He left the house and she starts drinkin`. When she´s like that, she gets mad at me, so I left the house , too. I just know where I can go to, Pony. Usually I go to lot but it`s to cold outside."

She starts crying again.

Pony gets her some covers and put his arm around her shoulder. She sobs and he stroked her hair to comfort her.

„You can stay here tonight. Tomorrow I`ll talk to Darry and we`ll convince something."

„Thank you Pony, you`re a good friend."

Scout makes herself comfortable. She was so overwhelmed and tired that she fall asleep within a feweconds.

Pony couldn`t find his dreams so easily. He was shocked and kind of clueless.

Was it this bad, when Scout gets seperated from her family? Maybe yes. Maybe no.

What will Darry gonna say, when he see her on the sofa, just right after he told him, that she couldn`t stay here? Pony could hear his scream already now...


End file.
